Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

"he always follows the latest fads"; "it was all the rage that season"

cult(noun)

followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader

cult(noun)

a religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false

"it was a satanic cult"

cult, cultus, religious cult(noun)

a system of religious beliefs and rituals

"devoted to the cultus of the Blessed Virgin"

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

Cult(n.)

A system of intense religious veneration of a particular person, idea, or object, especially one considered spurious or irrational by traditional religious bodies; as, the Moonie cult.

Cult(n.)

The group of individuals who adhere to a cult (senses 2 or 3).

Cult(n.)

A strong devotion or interest in a particular person, idea or thing without religious associations, or the people holding such an interest; as, the cult of James Dean; the cult of personality in totalitarian societies.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

Cult

The word cult in current popular usage is a pejorative term for a new religious movement or other group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre by the larger society.
Usage of the word has been controversial. One reason is that the word "cult" is considered a subjective term, used as an ad hominem attack against groups with simply differing doctrines or practices, and without a clear or consistent definition.
The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices. The word was first used in the early 17th century denoting homage paid to a divinity and borrowed via the French culte from Latin cultus "worship", from the adjective cultus "inhabited, cultivated, worshipped", derived from the verb colere "care, cultivate."
In the 1930s cults became the object of sociological study in the context of the study of religious behavior. They have been criticized by mainstream Christians for their unorthodox beliefs. In the 1970s the anticult movement arose, partly motivated by acts of violence and other crimes committed by members of some cults. Some of the claims of the anti-cult movement have been disputed by other scholars, leading to further controversies.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

Cult

kult, n. a system of religious belief, worship.—Also Cult′us. [L. cultus—colĕre, to worship.]